Nicole and Nate Hackmann's Farewell Concert Tops August Offerings at CCP

Tennessee's Cumberland Plateau comes alive with the sound of music in August, with a trio of concerts on tap at Crossville's Cumberland County Playhouse.

On Friday, August 12, Nicole Bégué Hackmann and Nathaniel Hackmann bring their amazing vocal prowess to the stage with Songs of Faith & Freedom, followed a week later by a concert on August 19 by the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra. On Sunday, August 21, Artists of the Cumberland (featuring Mike Stone and The Dark Side Band, Melissa Ellis, D.J. Garrison, Regina Stevens, Marley Wyatt, and Steve Boyce) will take the stage.

After CCP roles as Guinevere and Lancelot in Camelot, Belle and The Beast in Disney's Beauty and the Beast, newlyweds Nicole Bégué Hackmann and Nathanial Hackmann sing Songs of Faith & Freedom on August 12, in a farewell to The Playhouse. After the concert, the Hackmanns return home to Louisiana, then on to New York, as Nate continues to recover from a shoulder separation that forced him to bow out from his critically acclaimed turn as Curley in Oklahoma!, in which he appeared opposite Nicole as Laurey Williams. Lindy Pendzick and Daniel W. Black will take over the roles, continuing in them through September 2.

In Songs of Faith & Freedom, the Hackmanns will perform such tunes as "Corner of the Sky" from Pippin, "Impossible Dream" from Man of La Mancha, Bernstein's "Simple Song" from Mass and "Make our Garden Grow" from Candide, and Jason Robert Brown's stirring "The Flagmaker." The concert will feature a special appearance by The Playhouse's young Rising Stars. Annie Crabtree accompanies, along with Ron Murphy, MarIan Sullivan, Emily Byrens and other musical guests.   

The Knoxville Jazz Orchestra (KJO), a 17-piece big band of top Tennessee musicians, comes to town on August 19. KJO has appeared in jazz festivals in Europe, released four critically acclaimed CDs, and their performances have been described as "fantastic and flawless, fresh and contemporary with deep-seated roots." 

August 21 showcases great area talent of Artists of the Cumberlands, featuring Mike Stone and the Dark Side Band, author/singer Melissa Ellis, Pleasant Hill and Knoxville tenor Steve Boyce,  DJ Garrison, and Crossville's own great voices, Regina Stephens and Marley Wyatt. CCP leading lady Weslie Webster will emcee the event.

Also coming up at CCP is the August 25 opening of Dearly Departed,  followed by Dreamgirls, (running September 16-October 16). The Playhouse production features Hairspray's Knoxville songbirds, Kelle Jolly, LaKeeta Booker and Lar'Juanette Williams as Effie Melody White, with Michael Ruff, Quinn Cason and Keith McCoy of the CCP resident company in key roles. Harry Bryce directs. 

You can get tickets for all CCP shows and concerts by calling (931) 484-5000 or online at www.ccplayhouse.com. Currently at The Playhouse are Rodgers and Hammerstein's classic Oklahoma!, continuing through September 2; and Kander and Ebb's Chicago, running through October 7.

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